New research from WPP’s Kantar Video claims that the top ten ads in the Super Bowl earned $862,000 on average in other paid-for video media in the first three days following the game, a 12.7 per cent return on the cost of a Super Bowl spot. Overall, this year’s ads created over $11 million in earned (bonus) media above the ratecard cost and saw a 267 per cent increase in viewership. Longer ads worked better than shorter ads and creative was a key factor.

One reason was the increasing pre-release of Super Bowl ads with supporting online campaigns and other hype. Here are Kantar’s main conclusions.

Return on Format: Longer ads create more value. Longer ads posted online offered much higher value to advertisers, as it extends the amount of time a consumer is exposed to their brand from a 30-60-second commercial to upwards of two minutes or more, lowering estimated effective CPM. These ads also generated more viewership and discussion on average.

Return on Strategy: Pre-game strategies help, but the Super Bowl ‘Bounce’ rewards creative. Over $2 million worth of earned viewership was created before the game even began, spurred by early releasing strategies and bolstered by media outreach, seeding and paid advertising. However, the Super Bowl ‘bounce’ truly benefited the ads with the most popular creative executions. Over four times as much earned media value was created after the game with the most buzzed about ads topping the list.
Return on Creative: Generic themes offered stronger brand association than celebrities. Looking specifically at the automotive category, which commanded the most pre and post game viewership, thematic use of vampires and dogs with Volkswagen and Audi generated more recall in discussion versus ads featuring celebrities. While celebrities help create buzz, a strong execution around an idea that is central to a brand drives engagement and may serve as a more sustainable concept as campaigns continue throughout the year.

“The incredible power of online video is on display this year offering an even greater return on investment for Super Bowl advertisers,” according to Bill Lederer, CEO of Kantar Video. “This evolution to multi-platform campaigns is creating a whole new layer of value to brands and audiences making the advertisements an even bigger part of this annual event.”